Every empty seat in Helzberg Hall on Friday night signified someone’s missed opportunity to witness one of the most uplifting, rewarding and musically satisfying shows in Kansas City this year. Bobby McFerrin melds scat-singing, vocalise, beat-box and an encyclopedic catalogue of melodic knowledge into a performance style that’s very physics is boggling.
A KC jazz project gathers around songwriter Beck’s “Song Reader,” a group of 20 songs that existed only on paper and awaited interpretation. Pianist Mark Lowrey and others will perform all the songs Friday night at RecordBar.
The Lied Center of Kansas will mark its 20th anniversary season with an eclectic mix of musical theater, world music and classical performances — including the legendary Hal Holbrook, who returns to the area with his signature performance of “Mark Twain Tonight.”
Friday night, Grisly Hand will headline at Knuckleheads, celebrating the release of “Country Singles,” the band’s christening in the world of thematic, full-length recordings. “Singles” also is evidence of Grisly Hand’s evolution to a band with its own solid identity and clear voice.
Gerald Clayton, the top-notch young pianist who’s bringing his trio to the Blue Room on Saturday, is searching for new grooves and sounds but plays with taste and style, the kind that comes out of tradition, related to that thing called swing.
In spite of the impeccable support provided by a five-piece band, Belton native Tate Stevens wasn’t able to put a distinctive stamp on the familiar material, casting a modicum of doubt on the commercial viability of a great guy with a good voice.
Belton honored its favorite son Monday as the Cass County city added country singer and "X Factor" winner Tate Stevens' name to its water tower, along with the words "Live the Dream!" Stevens spoke at the ceremony, held hours before his second of two concerts at the Midland in Kansas City that kick off a U.S. Tour.
Hip-hop violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, a classically trained composer/performer, comes to Kansas City this week to perform and encourage school-age musicians. He spends quite a bit of his time revving up the next generation.
Belton native Tate Stevens may be a newcomer in the country-music big leagues, but Sunday night, the winner of the second season of “The X Factor” showed he is a seasoned performer. He and his five-piece band kept the energy levels high all night in the first of two Kansas City shows that kick off his U.S. tour.
Rapper T.I.’s perfunctory performance Saturday night at the Sprint Center was salvaged by the strength of his material. Aside from renditions of a few deep album tracks like “Freak Though,” his effort contained no surprises or standout moments.
Who would have guessed one of the hottest tickets in town this weekend would be to hear English ukulele players? The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain brought a two-hour show filled with superb musicianship and a stage presence characterized by zany, deadpan British humor to Johnson County Community College’s Yardley Hall on Saturday night.
The summer has always been prime time for live music. This year is no different. All of the live venues have a list of big shows, and most of the indoor venues are as busy as usual. Here is a list of shows that will make this a summer to be remembered.
Megan Birdsall has a cold. A knit cap covers her straight blondish-red hair. She’s poking around near the piano at Jardine’s looking for something, then sound-checks the microphone.
Eldar Djangirov, the room-filling pianist, returned to Kansas City Sunday for a multi-night run at Jardine’s and took no time at all to endear himself to a loyal crowd. In the first set, the onetime prodigy showed off the full range of his talents, as a formidable performer and now an emerging composer.
On Wednesday night, Tina Turner opens her North American tour at the Sprint Center. If you’re going to the show and it’s your first at the Sprint Center, be warned: Fans have complained about the acoustics.
The rapper T.I., touring behind his new Marvin Gaye-inspired album, "Trouble Man," performed at the Sprint Center on Saturday night, B.o.B, another Southern rapper with a flair for drama, opened the show. Check out photos from the concert by The Star’s Joe Ledford.
On the way: Steely Dan, Straight No Chaser, Guns N’ Roses, Kelly Rowland, Carly Rae Jepsen
American Idol Live, June 30, Sprint Center. $33.50-$66
Four engaging young Canadians known as the Tenors beguiled a capacity crowd Friday night at the Midland Theatre with a polished road show that covered musical territory from immortal tenor arias to American religious music to Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan to Broadway tunes and to original material.
Tickets for Mary J. Blige, Robert Cray, Iron Maiden and Megadeth tickets go on sale Friday.
